Tavern
Profile:
Jaggerbad
Skyhouse
By Will Doyle
Illustration by Adam Paquette
Cartography by Jason A. Engle
Some whisper of an inn that sails the
skies on a dragon’s back. Bound to the
mercurial archfey of the Court of Stars,
this enchanted skyhouse glides through
the planes on an endless, fate-smitten
journey. It is said that those who earn the
favor of the fey can call upon its services
by chanting the dragon’s name, and
journey aboard the skyhouse to any destination they please.
With patrons alighting from across the planes, a staff
of fey-cursed wanderers, and a layout that shifts when
you’re not looking, this bewitched inn offers plenty of
scope for adventure. For Dungeon Masters wishing
TM & © 2012 Wizards of the Coast LLC. All rights reserved.
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Tavern Profile: Jaggerbad Skyhouse
to bring some interplanar travel into their games, or
introduce the mysterious Feywild and its Court of
Stars, Jaggerbad Skyhouse offers a memorable starting point.
H istory
Hundreds of years ago, in an age long-lost to an unremembered past, Jaggerbad Skyhouse was gifted to the
Summer Queen Tiandra by Oren, Lord of the Green
Fey. Together they would wing from world to world,
witnessing the wonders of each plane, or daring to
gaze into the weird night that lay between. But the
affections of the fey world shift like sand, and in time
Tiandra turned her back on Oren. Wearied by her
games, the Green Lord bequeathed the skyhouse to
Fly, the most favored of his servants, and told him to
do with it as he pleased.
In the centuries since, Fly has used the skyhouse
to ferry visitors to and from his master’s court. Its
bridal chambers have become suites for visiting fey
barons, its dining hall a bar for otherworldly envoys.
Visitors from the mortal world are also common.
Delighted by their simple affairs, Fly uses his magic
to meddle in their lives. When chance would have
it, the wily fey and his mysterious skyhouse appear
from nowhere, whisking unsuspecting mortals on a
journey across the planes. Some return as rich men or
heroes. Others are lost forever.
I nn L ayout
The inn’s thatched hall is strapped to the back of a
colossal iron dragon. The entire structure straddles
a mechanized saddle of timber and cloth, which
operates like a concertina during flight to maintain
stability. Collapsible sails are strung by rope and rigging to the dragon’s flanks, and manned by a somber
crew of wooden sailors. A jumble of staircases, gantries, and bridges allow the crew to move about its
back whilst airborne.
The Common Room: Passengers are ushered
inside here after being hoisted aboard on baskets.
Dusky flames burn from shuttered lanterns and
faeries flit through the smoke-scented air. The walls
are carved mahogany, with darkened conference
chambers lurking behind silken drapes. This is no
bawdy tavern: the skyhouse plays host to powerful
beings from across the planes, and its ambience is
one of sphinx-like mystery. Arched windows gaze out
over whichever plane the dragon currently journeys
through.
Those who step inside might be startled to see that
it is larger within than it seemed without, but this
is just a trick of the eye. In fact, a powerful spell has
been cast over the inn that shrinks its visitors down to
a smaller size.
Staff Quarters: These are off-limits to passengers and hidden away behind a magically sealed
door. The innkeeper changes his password every day,
sometimes every hour, so even his own staff might
suddenly find themselves locked out. The chambers
beyond include the innkeeper’s own opulent quarters, the kitchens, and most important of all, a private
balcony used for speaking to the dragon during flight.
Passenger Deck: Double staircases sweep from
the common room to a minstrel’s gallery, where
cloaked archways lead to a network of sleeping chambers. The corridors up here have a habit of shifting
about when no one’s looking, tricking patrons into
getting lost or entering into the wrong rooms. Hidden
passageways can be found behind picture frames,
and wizard-locked doors may open of their own
accord, enticing passengers into long-lost chambers—
or even into other planes.
I nn Staff
The cooks, scullery maids, and bar staff are all mortals who have wittingly or unwittingly entered into
one of Fly’s bargains. Once bound, they are magically
compelled to stay until the mysterious terms of their
deal have been met. Fly treats each guest differently:
romancing some, pointedly ignoring others, and in
some instances showing them the full extent of his
ire. His staff roster is constantly changing, as the
terms of his bargains are as unpredictable as the innkeeper himself. Adventurers might be served by an
innocent girl on one journey, only to find her replaced
by a cruel-hearted drow mercenary on the way back.
Fly the Innkeeper: Lord Oren’s emissary is
known to mortals by many names. To some he is William Finesort, an ambrosial spirit who brings unlikely
lovers together, or the Green Knave, who sours milk
and leads travelers astray in the marshes. To others
he is the Hob Knocker, a villain who swaps mortal
babies for changelings and tattles secrets he has
overheard.
Fly commonly appears as a handsome young halfelf, although certain of his features seem older than
they should. As changeable as quicksilver, he can be
joking one moment and deeply melancholic the next.
Only in business does he conform to any consistent
personality, where he comes across as cheerily tenacious and whip-crack smart.
Fly is fiercely loyal to Oren, whom he admires and
fears in equal measure. His master’s personal guests
are always afforded the wildest luxuries and treated
first above all others. But in spite of these loyalties, Fly
harbors greater affection for Queen Tiandra. Unbeknownst to its true master, the skyhouse regularly
berths at the sylvan groves of Senaliesse, where Fly
fattens his mistress’s love of the Mortal World with
tales of his wayward servants.
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Tavern Profile: Jaggerbad Skyhouse
Fly the Innkeeper
Level 19 Controller (Leader)
Medium fey humanoid
HP 178; Bloodied 89
AC 33, Fortitude 30, Reflex 32, Will 31
Speed 6, teleport 6
Traits
XP 2,400
Initiative +13
Perception +11
Low-light vision
O Swarm of Faeries F Aura 2
Enemies in the aura grant combat advantage to Fly’s allies
and cannot teleport.
Standard Actions
m Lute Smash (weapon) F At-Will
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +24 vs. AC
Hit: 4d6 + 13 damage, and the target falls prone.
C Befuddle (charm) F At-Will
Attack: Close blast 3 (enemies in the blast); +22 vs. Will
Hit: As a free action, the target makes a basic attack
against a target of Fly’s choice.
R Harmless Form (polymorph) F Recharge when the
power misses or a target saves against it
Attack: Ranged 5 (one creature); +22 vs. Fortitude
Hit: 2d6 + 16 damage, and the target transforms into a
small animal until the end of its next turn. While transformed, the target can take only move actions.
Aftereffect: The target is dazed (save ends).
Skills Arcana +21, Nature +16, Thievery +18
Str 15 (+11)
Dex 19 (+13)
Wis 15 (+11)
Con 18 (+13)
Int 24 (+16)
Cha 22 (+15)
Alignment unaligned Languages Common, Elven
Equipment lute
Jaggerbad: The iron dragon is bound to Lord
Oren and lives by one tenet: the clock. He never stops
until he reaches his destination, always leaves on the
dot, and never deviates from his course. He pays little
heed to events inside the inn unless such discountenance would jeopardize his timetable.
Jaggerbad treats Fly with an air of professional
detachment but never questions his orders. To navigate the planes, he unfurls a vast scroll, upon which
all of his appointments appear by magic alongside
detailed maps and directions. It is said that those who
call upon the skyhouse appear on the dragon’s schedule well before they even think to do so.
Jaggerbad’s story is the subject of much speculation. Some say he once waged war on Ishimriel,
an eladrin city that danced between the planes. By
day, it lay in the mortal world, but by night it would
worldfall back to the Feywild, allowing its defenders
to muster reinforcements. To beat them, Jaggerbad made a pact with the archfey: the power to
shift between the planes, on the condition he swore
fealty to Oren each morning. In time, the dragon
arrived late for his appointment, and the Green
Lord demanded that he spend a thousand years in
servitude, each day carrying the burden of Oren’s skyhouse between the planes. If he were ever late again,
proud Oren would add another hundred years to his
sentence.
Whatever’s the truth, Jaggerbad has served his
time faithfully. Perhaps his tempers have mellowed
over the decades, but he still dreams of his hoard,
and maybe even lays patient plans against those who
defied him so long ago.
The Wooden Sailors: These automata were
crafted long ago by the Summer Queen. Despite
being possessed of simple cunning and some small
degree of independent thought, their duties extend to
little more than manning the sails. At a pinch, Fly can
command them to take up arms against quarrelsome
guests, but this is rarely called for.
Wooden Sailor
Level 16 Skirmisher
Medium natural animate (construct)
XP 1,400
HP 150; Bloodied 75
Initiative +17
AC 30, Fortitude 28, Reflex 30, Will 26
Perception +10
Speed 6
Darkvision
Immune charm, disease, poison; Vulnerable 10 fire
Standard Actions
m Slam F At-Will
Attack: Melee 1 (one creature); +21 vs. AC
Hit: 3d6 + 13 damage.
Triggered Actions
Crafty F At-Will
Trigger: The sailor starts its turn adjacent to an enemy.
Effect (Free Action): The sailor shifts up to half its speed.
Dodge F At-Will
Trigger: An enemy granting combat advantage to the sailor
hits the sailor with an attack.
Effect (Immediate Interrupt): The sailor gains a +5 bonus to
the defense the attack targets. If the attack misses, the
sailor can shift 1 square as a free action.
Str 18 (+12)
Dex 24 (+15)
Wis 15 (+10)
Con 14 (+10)
Int 7 (+6)
Cha 4 (+5)
Alignment unaligned Languages —
Patrons
The skyhouse has no regulars. Its patrons are guests
to Oren’s Court, or chance-met travelers who’ve been
gifted passage by the whimsical fey. Otherworldly
guests are typically the most forthcoming, seeing the
journey as an opportunity for interplanar trade or
to unravel the mysteries of different worlds. Mortals
tend to be more wary of their surroundings, or even
think them a dream. Others are more villainous and
look upon the skyhouse as the perfect setting for a
robbery or a discreet assassination.
To find out who’s here when your players visit, roll
twice on the following tables: first to determine the
type of patron, and then to determine why he, she, or
it is traveling.
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Tavern Profile: Jaggerbad Skyhouse
d10Patron
1
Veiled princess and her retinue
2
Tattooed devil hunter
3
Planar explorer and his cartographer
4
Turbaned, gold-painted dwarf
5
Winter fey at a frost-rimed table
6
Mind flayer pirate
7
Salamander warlord and bodyguards
8
Runaway angel
9
Pair of eloping lovers
10
Gnome illusionist riding a beholder
d10 Reason for Travel
1
Escorting a prisoner
2
Seeking an audience with the gods
3
Searching for a lost friend
4Playing Three-Dragon Ante
5
Transporting a casket of souls
6
Meeting an exarch of Bane
7
Getting married at Oren’s Court
8
Seeking the Plane of Dreams
9
Trying to break a curse
10
Carrying a king’s body to Celestia
I ntroducing the
Skyhouse
Most passengers summon the skyhouse by chanting
the dragon’s name. Only those who please the faeries of Oren’s Court are taught how, and in keeping
with their capricious nature, the knowledge might be
imparted for all manner of deeds. A powerful sultan
might free one of Oren’s courtiers from captivity,
only to share his journey with a common farmer who
sprung a rabbit from a trap.
Try devising an encounter wherein the adventurers perform some favor for the fey, perhaps
unwittingly so. Afterward, an emissary from Oren’s
Court comes forward and teaches them Jaggerbad’s
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Tavern Profile: Jaggerbad Skyhouse
Call. This emissary might be a fey, a talking animal,
or an animated object of some kind.
Another way to introduce the inn is to have your
players stumble across it in the wild. Fly often stops
over to take on supplies and gladly welcomes paid
custom. Such generosity always comes with a warning: they must be gone before the dragon takes off.
To turn this into a memorable adventure, have the
magic of the inn work against them: perhaps they are
lulled asleep at their table and awaken in a different
plane, or get lost in the shifting halls when returning
from their rooms. The mischievous innkeeper then
demands an outrageous toll for the journey, which
can only be paid off by agreeing to one of his faerie
bargains.
A third option is for Fly to seek them out himself.
He might entice them with offers of free passage or
the chance to consult rich and powerful patrons.
In fact, those who prick their thumbs in agreement
are bewitched into his service. This is a great way
to assemble a party for an interplanar campaign,
with each player taking on different jobs. As the skyhouse whirls between the planes, they’ll encounter
strange folk and even stranger mysteries, all the while
seeking a way to overcome the terms of their faerie
bargains.
Fly’s Bargain
The innkeeper’s bargains bind his victims into magical servitude. Each toils away on a different duty and
needs special permission to leave the skyhouse. Even
if they escape, they’ll wake back in their quarters
whenever they next fall asleep.
Fly’s bargain is like a curse. After each extended
rest, a player makes a Streetwise check to determine
their character’s progress on the curse track. This
represents a day’s work dealing with the patrons and
earning the innkeeper’s favor. A character can choose
to aid a companion’s check, but doing so means the
character automatically fails his or her own check.
To end the curse, characters must fulfill the terms
of their bargain. This might be as simple as staying
onboard the skyhouse for a week or as off-the-wall as
bringing the innkeeper a hair plucked from a werewolf ’s eyebrow.
Fly’s Bargain
Level 19 Curse
“By the pricking of my thumb, so our faerie deal is done.”
Who would’ ve thought the innkeeper’s deal would be so irksome or deadly!
Stage 0: The curse is dormant.
Stage 1: The target is disturbed by strange whisperings and
weird sightings and takes a –2 penalty to all skill checks.
Stage 2: The target is continually harassed by mischievous
faeries and must roll twice when making a skill check, always
taking the lower result.
Stage 3: The target can no longer tell dream from reality. In
combat, the target is always dazed.
Check: At the end of each extended rest, the target makes a
Insight check.
16 or Lower: The stage of the curse increases by one.
17–23: No change.
24 or Higher: The stage of the curse decreases by one (if at
stage 0, there is no change).
Lifting the Curse: The target fulfills the strange terms of Fly’s
bargain.
A dventures on the
Skyhouse
With the wonders of the planes just a wingbeat away,
adventure on the skyhouse is never hard to find. Use
the hooks below as fodder for your own stories.
Hook: Dragon Delay
The adventurers are contacted by sages from the
ancient eladrin city of Ishimriel. According to their
records, Jaggerbad’s millennial term of servitude is
coming to an end. They fear that the dragon, once
freed, will return to their city and destroy it. To prevent catastrophe, the players must find a way to delay
the dragon and thereby trick Lord Oren into extending its sentence.
Hook: Daylight Robbery
An eladrin trader hires the adventurers to steal information from Jaggerbad’s scroll of appointments. One
of his rivals is planning a trip aboard the skyhouse,
and the eladrin plans to rob his rival’s stronghold
whilst he’s away. The adventurers must find a way to
distract the dragon during flight, steal the scroll from
its saddlebags, and then find out when the eladrin’s
rival is making the journey.
About the Author
Will Doyle is a video game designer currently working in
the United Kingdom. This article completes one of his life’s
objectives of having a publication in Dungeon magazine.
When they’re not playing D&D, he and his girlfriend keep
a blog called Beholder Pie (http://beholderpie.blogspot.com/).
Developer
Chris Sims
Managing Editor
Christopher Perkins
Producers
Greg Bilsland, Christopher Perkins, Stan!
Digital Studio Consultant
Dan Helmick
Art Directors
Kate Irwin, Jon Schindehette
Illustrator
Adam Paquette
Cartographer
Jason A. Engle
Graphic Production
Angie Lokotz
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